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For other uses, see WTO (disam iguation!. World Trade Organization (English) Organisation mondiale du commerce (French) Organizacin Mundial del Comercio (Spanish)

"em ers "em ers, dually represented y the #$ O servers %on&mem ers Formation ' January '(() *entre William +appard, ,eneva, Headquarters -.it/erland Mem ership ')( mem er states0'1 O!!icial languages #nglish, French, -panish021 "irector#$eneral +o erto 3/ev4do '(5 million -.iss francs (appro6. %udget 27( million $-8! in 27''.091 Sta!! 5:70:1 We site .to.org The World Trade Organization (WTO! is an organi/ation that intends to supervise and li erali/e international trade. The organi/ation officially commenced on ' January '(() under the "arrakech 3greement, replacing the ,eneral 3greement on Tariffs and Trade (,3TT!, .hich commenced in '(:;.0)1 The organi/ation deals .ith regulation of trade et.een participating countries< it provides a frame.ork for negotiating and formali/ing trade agreements, and a dispute resolution process aimed at enforcing participant=s adherence to WTO agreements, .hich are signed y representatives of mem er governments051:fol.(>'7 and ratified y their parliaments.0?1 "ost of the issues that the WTO focuses on derive from previous trade negotiations, especially from the $ruguay +ound ('(;5>'((:!.

The organi/ation is attempting to complete negotiations on the @oha @evelopment +ound, .hich .as launched in 277' .ith an e6plicit focus on addressing the needs of developing countries. 3s of June 27'2, the future of the @oha +ound remained uncertain: the .ork programme lists 2' su Aects in .hich the original deadline of ' January 277) .as missed, and the round is still incomplete.0;1 The conflict et.een free trade on industrial goods and services ut retention of protectionism on farm su sidies to domestic agricultural sector (reBuested y developed countries! and the su stantiation of the international li erali/ation of fair trade on agricultural products (reBuested y developing countries! remain the maAor o stacles. These points of contention have hindered any progress to launch ne. WTO negotiations eyond the @oha @evelopment +ound. 3s a result of this impasse, there has een an increasing num er of ilateral free trade agreements signed.0(1 3s of July 27'2, there .ere various negotiation groups in the WTO system for the current agricultural trade negotiation .hich is in the condition of stalemate.0'71 WTO=s current @irector&,eneral is +o erto 3/ev4do,0''10'21 .ho leads a staff of over 577 people in ,eneva, -.it/erland.0'91 3 trade facilitation agreement kno.n as the Cali Dackage .as reached y all mem ers on @ecem er ?, 27'9, the first comprehensive agreement in the organi/ation=s history.0':10')1 Contents

' Eistory o '.' ,3TT rounds of negotiations '.'.' From ,eneva to Tokyo '.'.2 $ruguay +ound o '.2 "inisterial conferences o '.9 @oha +ound (@oha 3genda! 2 Functions 9 Drinciples of the trading system : Organi/ational structure ) @ecision&making 5 @ispute settlement ? 3ccession and mem ership o ?.' 3ccession process o ?.2 "em ers and o servers ; 3greements ( Office of director&general o (.' Fist of directors&general '7 -ee also '' %otes and references '2 #6ternal links

Histor&

The economists Earry White (left! and John "aynard Geynes at the Cretton Woods *onference. Coth had een strong advocates of a central&controlled international trade environment and recommended the esta lishment of three institutions: the H"F (for fiscal and monetary issues!< the World Cank (for financial and structural issues!< and the HTO (for international economic cooperation!.0'51 The WTO=s predecessor, the ,eneral 3greement on Tariffs and Trade (,3TT!, .as esta lished after World War HH in the .ake of other ne. multilateral institutions dedicated to international economic cooperation > nota ly the Cretton Woods institutions kno.n as the World Cank and the Hnternational "onetary Fund. 3 compara le international institution for trade, named the Hnternational Trade Organi/ation .as successfully negotiated. The HTO .as to e a $nited %ations speciali/ed agency and .ould address not only trade arriers ut other issues indirectly related to trade, including employment, investment, restrictive usiness practices, and commodity agreements. Cut the HTO treaty .as not approved y the $.-. and a fe. other signatories and never .ent into effect.0'?10';10'(1 Hn the a sence of an international organi/ation for trade, the ,3TT .ould over the years "transform itself" into a de facto international organi/ation.0271 $'TT rounds o! negotiations -ee also: ,eneral 3greement on Tariffs and Trade The ,3TT .as the only multilateral instrument governing international trade from '(:5 until the WTO .as esta lished on ' January '(().02'1 @espite attempts in the mid&'()7s and '(57s to create some form of institutional mechanism for international trade, the ,3TT continued to operate for almost half a century as a semi&institutionali/ed multilateral treaty regime on a provisional asis.0221 From $ene(a to To)&o

-even rounds of negotiations occurred under ,3TT. The first real ,3TT trade rounds concentrated on further reducing tariffs. Then, the Gennedy +ound in the mid&si6ties rought a out a ,3TT anti&dumping 3greement and a section on development. The Tokyo +ound during the seventies .as the first maAor attempt to tackle trade arriers that do not take the form of tariffs, and to improve the system, adopting a series of agreements on non&tariff arriers, .hich in some cases interpreted e6isting ,3TT rules, and in others roke entirely ne. ground. Cecause these plurilateral agreements .ere not accepted y the full ,3TT mem ership, they .ere often informally called "codes". -everal of these codes .ere amended in the $ruguay +ound, and turned into multilateral commitments accepted y all WTO mem ers. Only four remained plurilateral (those on government procurement, ovine meat, civil aircraft and dairy products!, ut in '((? WTO mem ers agreed to terminate the ovine meat and dairy agreements, leaving only t.o.02'1 *rugua& +ound "ain article: $ruguay +ound

@uring the @oha +ound, the $- government lamed Cra/il and Hndia for eing infle6i le and the #$ for impeding agricultural imports.0291 The then&Dresident of Cra/il, Fui/ HnIcio Fula da -ilva (a ove right!, responded to the criticisms y arguing that progress .ould only e achieved if the richest countries (especially the $- and countries in the #$! made deeper cuts in agricultural su sidies and further opened their markets for agricultural goods.02:1 Well efore ,3TT=s :7th anniversary, its mem ers concluded that the ,3TT system .as straining to adapt to a ne. glo ali/ing .orld economy.02)10251 Hn response to the pro lems identified in the '(;2 "inisterial @eclaration (structural deficiencies, spill&over impacts of certain countries= policies on .orld trade ,3TT could not manage etc.!, the eighth ,3TT round > kno.n as the $ruguay +ound > .as launched in -eptem er '(;5, in Dunta del #ste, $ruguay.02)1 Ht .as the iggest negotiating mandate on trade ever agreed: the talks .ere going to e6tend the trading system into several ne. areas, nota ly trade in services and intellectual property, and to reform trade in the sensitive sectors of agriculture and te6tiles< all the original ,3TT articles .ere up for revie..0251 The Final 3ct concluding the $ruguay +ound and officially esta lishing the WTO regime .as signed ') 3pril '((:, during the ministerial meeting at "arrakesh, "orocco, and hence is kno.n as the "arrakesh 3greement.02?1

The ,3TT still e6ists as the WTO=s um rella treaty for trade in goods, updated as a result of the $ruguay +ound negotiations (a distinction is made et.een GATT 1994, the updated parts of ,3TT, and GATT 1947, the original agreement .hich is still the heart of ,3TT '((:!.02)1 ,3TT '((: is not ho.ever the only legally inding agreement included via the Final 3ct at "arrakesh< a long list of a out 57 agreements, anne6es, decisions and understandings .as adopted. The agreements fall into a structure .ith si6 main parts:

The 3greement #sta lishing the WTO ,oods and investment > the "ultilateral 3greements on Trade in ,oods including the ,3TT '((: and the Trade +elated Hnvestment "easures (T+H"-! -ervices J the ,eneral 3greement on Trade in -ervices Hntellectual property > the 3greement on Trade&+elated 3spects of Hntellectual Droperty +ights (T+HD-! @ispute settlement (@-$! +evie.s of governments= trade policies (TD+"!02;1

Hn terms of the WTO=s principle relating to tariff "ceiling& inding" (%o. 9!, the $ruguay +ound has een successful in increasing inding commitments y oth developed and developing countries, as may e seen in the percentages of tariffs ound efore and after the '(;5>'((: talks.02(1 Ministerial con!erences

The World Trade Organi/ation "inisterial *onference of '((;, in the Dalace of %ations (,eneva, -.it/erland!. The highest decision&making ody of the WTO is the "inisterial *onference, .hich usually meets every t.o years. Ht rings together all mem ers of the WTO, all of .hich are countries or customs unions. The "inisterial *onference can take decisions on all matters under any of the multilateral trade agreements. The inaugural ministerial conference .as held in -ingapore in '((5. @isagreements et.een largely developed and developing economies emerged during this conference over four issues initiated y this conference, .hich led to them eing collectively referred to as the "-ingapore issues". The second ministerial conference .as held in ,eneva in -.it/erland. The third conference in -eattle, Washington ended in failure, .ith massive demonstrations and police and %ational ,uard cro.d&control efforts dra.ing .orld.ide attention. The fourth ministerial conference .as held in @oha in the Dersian ,ulf nation of Katar. The @oha @evelopment +ound .as launched at the conference. The conference also approved the

Aoining of *hina, .hich ecame the ':9rd mem er to Aoin. The fifth ministerial conference .as held in *ancLn, "e6ico, aiming at forging agreement on the @oha round. 3n alliance of 22 southern states, the ,27 developing nations (led y Hndia, *hina,0971 Cra/il, 3-#3% led y the Dhilippines!, resisted demands from the %orth for agreements on the so&called "-ingapore issues" and called for an end to agricultural su sidies .ithin the #$ and the $-. The talks roke do.n .ithout progress. The si6th WTO ministerial conference .as held in Eong Gong from '9>'; @ecem er 277). Ht .as considered vital if the four&year&old @oha @evelopment +ound negotiations .ere to move for.ard sufficiently to conclude the round in 2775. Hn this meeting, countries agreed to phase out all their agricultural e6port su sidies y the end of 27'9, and terminate any cotton e6port su sidies y the end of 2775. Further concessions to developing countries included an agreement to introduce duty free, tariff free access for goods from the Feast @eveloped *ountries, follo.ing the #verything ut 3rms initiative of the #uropean $nion J ut .ith up to 9M of tariff lines e6empted. Other maAor issues .ere left for further negotiation to e completed y the end of 27'7. The WTO ,eneral *ouncil, on 25 "ay 277(, agreed to hold a seventh WTO ministerial conference session in ,eneva from 97 %ovem er&9 @ecem er 277(. 3 statement y chairman 3m . "ario "atus ackno.ledged that the prime purpose .as to remedy a reach of protocol reBuiring t.o&yearly "regular" meetings, .hich had lapsed .ith the @oha +ound failure in 277), and that the "scaled&do.n" meeting .ould not e a negotiating session, ut "emphasis .ill e on transparency and open discussion rather than on small group processes and informal negotiating structures". The general theme for discussion .as "The WTO, the "ultilateral Trading -ystem and the *urrent ,lo al #conomic #nvironment"09'1 "oha +ound ("oha 'genda) "ain article: @oha @evelopment +ound

The @oha @evelopment +ound started in 277' is at an impasse. The WTO launched the current round of negotiations, the @oha @evelopment +ound, at the fourth ministerial conference in @oha, Katar in %ovem er 277'. This .as to e an am itious effort to make glo ali/ation more inclusive and help the .orld=s poor, particularly y slashing arriers and su sidies in farming.0921 The initial agenda comprised oth further trade li erali/ation and ne. rule&making, underpinned y commitments to strengthen su stantial assistance to developing countries.0991

The negotiations have een highly contentious. @isagreements still continue over several key areas including agriculture su sidies, .hich emerged as critical in July 2775.09:1 3ccording to a #uropean $nion statement, "The 277; "inisterial meeting roke do.n over a disagreement et.een e6porters of agricultural ulk commodities and countries .ith large num ers of su sistence farmers on the precise terms of a =special safeguard measure= to protect farmers from surges in imports."09)1 The position of the #uropean *ommission is that "The successful conclusion of the @oha negotiations .ould confirm the central role of multilateral li eralisation and rule&making. Ht .ould confirm the WTO as a po.erful shield against protectionist acksliding."0991 3n impasse remains and, as of 3ugust 27'9, agreement has not een reached, despite intense negotiations at several ministerial conferences and at other sessions. On 2? "arch 27'9, the chairman of agriculture talks announced "a proposal to loosen price support disciplines for developing countriesN pu lic stocks and domestic food aid." Ee added: O....e are not yet close to agreementJin fact, the su stantive discussion of the proposal is only eginning.P0951 ,sho-.( / d / e$'TT and WTO trade rounds,01. Functions 3mong the various functions of the WTO, these are regarded y analysts as the most important:

Ht oversees the implementation, administration and operation of the covered agreements.09;109(1 Ht provides a forum for negotiations and for settling disputes.0:710:'1

3dditionally, it is the WTO=s duty to revie. and propagate the national trade policies, and to ensure the coherence and transparency of trade policies through surveillance in glo al economic policy&making.09(10:'1 3nother priority of the WTO is the assistance of developing, least&developed and lo.&income countries in transition to adAust to WTO rules and disciplines through technical cooperation and training.0:21 The WTO is also a center of economic research and analysis: regular assessments of the glo al trade picture in its annual pu lications and research reports on specific topics are produced y the organi/ation.0:91 Finally, the WTO cooperates closely .ith the t.o other components of the Cretton Woods system, the H"F and the World Cank.0:71 2rinciples o! the trading s&stem The WTO esta lishes a frame.ork for trade policies< it does not define or specify outcomes. That is, it is concerned .ith setting the rules of the trade policy games.0::1 Five principles are of particular importance in understanding oth the pre&'((: ,3TT and the WTO: '. 3on#discrimination. Ht has t.o maAor components: the most favoured nation ("F%! rule, and the national treatment policy. Coth are em edded in the main

2.

9.

:.

5.

WTO rules on goods, services, and intellectual property, ut their precise scope and nature differ across these areas. The "F% rule reBuires that a WTO mem er must apply the same conditions on all trade .ith other WTO mem ers, i.e. a WTO mem er has to grant the most favora le conditions under .hich it allo.s trade in a certain product type to all other WTO mem ers.0::1 ",rant someone a special favour and you have to do the same for all other WTO mem ers."02(1 %ational treatment means that imported goods should e treated no less favora ly than domestically produced goods (at least after the foreign goods have entered the market! and .as introduced to tackle non&tariff arriers to trade (e.g. technical standards, security standards et al. discriminating against imported goods!.0::1 +eciprocit&. Ht reflects oth a desire to limit the scope of free&riding that may arise ecause of the "F% rule, and a desire to o tain etter access to foreign markets. 3 related point is that for a nation to negotiate, it is necessary that the gain from doing so e greater than the gain availa le from unilateral li erali/ation< reciprocal concessions intend to ensure that such gains .ill materialise.0:)1 %inding and en!orcea le commitments. The tariff commitments made y WTO mem ers in a multilateral trade negotiation and on accession are enumerated in a schedule (list! of concessions. These schedules esta lish "ceiling indings": a country can change its indings, ut only after negotiating .ith its trading partners, .hich could mean compensating them for loss of trade. Hf satisfaction is not o tained, the complaining country may invoke the WTO dispute settlement procedures.02(10:)1 Transparenc&. The WTO mem ers are reBuired to pu lish their trade regulations, to maintain institutions allo.ing for the revie. of administrative decisions affecting trade, to respond to reBuests for information y other mem ers, and to notify changes in trade policies to the WTO. These internal transparency reBuirements are supplemented and facilitated y periodic country& specific reports (trade policy revie.s! through the Trade Dolicy +evie. "echanism (TD+"!.0:51 The WTO system tries also to improve predicta ility and sta ility, discouraging the use of Buotas and other measures used to set limits on Buantities of imports.02(1 Sa!et& (al(es. Hn specific circumstances, governments are a le to restrict trade. The WTO=s agreements permit mem ers to take measures to protect not only the environment ut also pu lic health, animal health and plant health.0:?1

There are three types of provision in this direction:

articles allo.ing for the use of trade measures to attain non&economic o Aectives< articles aimed at ensuring "fair competition"< mem ers must not use environmental protection measures as a means of disguising protectionist policies.0:?1 provisions permitting intervention in trade for economic reasons.0:51

#6ceptions to the "F% principle also allo. for preferential treatment of developing countries, regional free trade areas and customs unions.051:fol.(9 Organizational structure The ,eneral *ouncil has the follo.ing su sidiary odies .hich oversee committees in different areas: *ouncil for Trade in ,oods There are '' committees under the Aurisdiction of the ,oods *ouncil each .ith a specific task. 3ll mem ers of the WTO participate in the committees. The Te6tiles "onitoring Cody is separate from the other committees ut still under the Aurisdiction of ,oods *ouncil. The ody has its o.n chairman and only '7 mem ers. The ody also has several groups relating to te6tiles.0:;1 *ouncil for Trade&+elated 3spects of Hntellectual Droperty +ights Hnformation on intellectual property in the WTO, ne.s and official records of the activities of the T+HD- *ouncil, and details of the WTO=s .ork .ith other international organi/ations in the field.0:(1 *ouncil for Trade in -ervices The *ouncil for Trade in -ervices operates under the guidance of the ,eneral *ouncil and is responsi le for overseeing the functioning of the ,eneral 3greement on Trade in -ervices (,3T-!. Ht is open to all WTO mem ers, and can create su sidiary odies as reBuired.0)71 Trade %egotiations *ommittee The Trade %egotiations *ommittee (T%*! is the committee that deals .ith the current trade talks round. The chair is WTO=s director&general. 3s of June 27'2 the committee .as tasked .ith the @oha @evelopment +ound.0)'1 The -ervice *ouncil has three su sidiary odies: financial services, domestic regulations, ,3T- rules and specific commitments.0:;1 The council has several different committees, .orking groups, and .orking parties.0)21 There are committees on the follo.ing: Trade and #nvironment< Trade and @evelopment (-u committee on Feast&@eveloped *ountries!< +egional Trade 3greements< Calance of Dayments +estrictions< and Cudget, Finance and 3dministration. There are .orking parties on the follo.ing: 3ccession. There are .orking groups on the follo.ing: Trade, de t and finance< and Trade and technology transfer. "ecision#ma)ing The WTO descri es itself as "a rules& ased, mem er&driven organi/ation J all decisions are made y the mem er governments, and the rules are the outcome of negotiations among mem ers".0)91 The WTO 3greement foresees votes .here consensus cannot e reached, ut the practice of consensus dominates the process of decision&making.0):1

+ichard Earold -tein erg (2772! argues that although the WTO=s consensus governance model provides la.& ased initial argaining, trading rounds close through po.er& ased argaining favouring #urope and the $.-., and may not lead to Dareto improvement.0))1 "ispute settlement "ain article: @ispute settlement in the WTO Hn '((:, the WTO mem ers agreed on the $nderstanding on +ules and Drocedures ,overning the -ettlement of @isputes (@-$! anne6ed to the "Final 3ct" signed in "arrakesh in '((:.0)51 @ispute settlement is regarded y the WTO as the central pillar of the multilateral trading system, and as a "uniBue contri ution to the sta ility of the glo al economy".0)?1 WTO mem ers have agreed that, if they elieve fello.&mem ers are violating trade rules, they .ill use the multilateral system of settling disputes instead of taking action unilaterally.0);1 The operation of the WTO dispute settlement process involves the @-C panels, the 3ppellate Cody, the WTO -ecretariat, ar itrators, independent e6perts and several speciali/ed institutions.0)(1 Codies involved in the dispute settlement process, World Trade Organi/ation. 'ccession and mem ership "ain article: World Trade Organi/ation accession and mem ership The process of ecoming a WTO mem er is uniBue to each applicant country, and the terms of accession are dependent upon the country=s stage of economic development and current trade regime.0571 The process takes a out five years, on average, ut it can last more if the country is less than fully committed to the process or if political issues interfere. The shortest accession negotiation .as that of the Gyrgy/ +epu lic, .hile the longest .as that of +ussia, .hich, having first applied to Aoin ,3TT in '((9, .as approved for mem ership in @ecem er 27'' and ecame a WTO mem er on 22 3ugust 27'2.05'1 The second longest .as that of Qanuatu, .hose Working Darty on the 3ccession of Qanuatu .as esta lished on '' July '((). 3fter a final meeting of the Working Darty in Octo er 277', Qanuatu reBuested more time to consider its accession terms. Hn 277;, it indicated its interest to resume and conclude its WTO accession. The Working Darty on the 3ccession of Qanuatu .as reconvened informally on : 3pril 27'' to discuss Qanuatu=s future WTO mem ership. The re&convened Working Darty completed its mandate on 2 "ay 27''. The ,eneral *ouncil formally approved the 3ccession Dackage of Qanuatu on 25 Octo er 27''. On 2: 3ugust 27'2, the WTO .elcomed Qanuatu as its ')?th mem er.0521 3n offer of accession is only given once consensus is reached among interested parties.0591 'ccession process

WTO accession progress: "em ers (including dual&representation .ith the #uropean $nion! @raft Working Darty +eport or Factual -ummary adopted ,oods andRor -ervices offers su mitted "emorandum on Foreign Trade +egime (FT+! su mitted O server, negotiations to start later or no "emorandum on FT+ su mitted Fro/en procedures or no negotiations in the last 9 years %o official interaction .ith the WTO 3 country .ishing to accede to the WTO su mits an application to the ,eneral *ouncil, and has to descri e all aspects of its trade and economic policies that have a earing on WTO agreements.05:1 The application is su mitted to the WTO in a memorandum .hich is e6amined y a .orking party open to all interested WTO "em ers.0591 3fter all necessary ackground information has een acBuired, the .orking party focuses on issues of discrepancy et.een the WTO rules and the applicant=s international and domestic trade policies and la.s. The .orking party determines the terms and conditions of entry into the WTO for the applicant nation, and may consider transitional periods to allo. countries some lee.ay in complying .ith the WTO rules.0571 The final phase of accession involves ilateral negotiations et.een the applicant nation and other .orking party mem ers regarding the concessions and commitments on tariff levels and market access for goods and services. The ne. mem er=s commitments are to apply eBually to all WTO mem ers under normal non&discrimination rules, even though they are negotiated ilaterally.05:1 When the ilateral talks conclude, the .orking party sends to the general council or ministerial conference an accession package, .hich includes a summary of all the .orking party meetings, the Drotocol of 3ccession (a draft mem ership treaty!, and lists ("schedules"! of the mem er&to& e=s commitments. Once the general council or ministerial conference approves of the terms of accession, the applicant=s parliament must ratify the Drotocol of 3ccession efore it can ecome a mem er.05)1 -ome countries may have faced tougher and a much longer accession process due to challenges during negotiations .ith other WTO mem ers, such as Qietnam, .hose negotiations took more than '' years efore it ecame official mem er in January 277?.0551

Mem ers and o ser(ers The WTO has ')( mem ers and 2) o server governments.05?1 Hn addition to states, the #uropean $nion is a mem er. WTO mem ers do not have to e full sovereign nation& mem ers. Hnstead, they must e a customs territory .ith full autonomy in the conduct of their e6ternal commercial relations. Thus Eong Gong has een a mem er since '(() (as "Eong Gong, *hina" since '((?! predating the Deople=s +epu lic of *hina, .hich Aoined in 277' after ') years of negotiations. The +epu lic of *hina acceded to the WTO in 2772 as "-eparate *ustoms Territory of Tai.an, Denghu, Ginmen and "atsu" (*hinese Taipei! despite its disputed status.05;1 The WTO -ecretariat omits the official titles (such as *ounselor, First -ecretary, -econd -ecretary and Third -ecretary! of the mem ers of *hinese Taipei=s Dermanent "ission to the WTO, e6cept for the titles of the Dermanent +epresentative and the @eputy Dermanent +epresentative.05(1 3s of 277?, WTO mem er states represented (5.:M of glo al trade and (5.?M of glo al ,@D.0?71 Hran, follo.ed y 3lgeria, are the economies .ith the largest ,@D and trade outside the WTO, using 277) data.0?'10?21 With the e6ception of the Eoly -ee, o servers must start accession negotiations .ithin five years of ecoming o servers. 3 num er of international intergovernmental organi/ations have also een granted o server status to WTO odies.0?91 ': states and t.o territories so far have no official interaction .ith the WTO. 'greements Further information: $ruguay +ound The WTO oversees a out 57 different agreements .hich have the status of international legal te6ts. "em er countries must sign and ratify all WTO agreements on accession.0?:1 3 discussion of some of the most important agreements follo.s. The 3greement on 3griculture came into effect .ith the esta lishment of the WTO at the eginning of '((). The 3o3 has three central concepts, or "pillars": domestic support, market access and e6port su sidies. The ,eneral 3greement on Trade in -ervices .as created to e6tend the multilateral trading system to service sector, in the same .ay as the ,eneral 3greement on Tariffs and Trade (,3TT! provided such a system for merchandise trade. The agreement entered into force in January '((). The 3greement on Trade&+elated 3spects of Hntellectual Droperty +ights sets do.n minimum standards for many forms of intellectual property (HD! regulation. Ht .as negotiated at the end of the $ruguay +ound of the ,eneral 3greement on Tariffs and Trade (,3TT! in '((:.0?)1 The 3greement on the 3pplication of -anitary and Dhytosanitary "easuresJalso kno.n as the -D- 3greementJ.as negotiated during the $ruguay +ound of ,3TT, and entered into force .ith the esta lishment of the WTO at the eginning of '((). $nder the -D- agreement, the WTO sets constraints on mem ers= policies relating to food safety ( acterial contaminants, pesticides, inspection and la elling! as .ell as animal and plant health (imported pests and diseases!. The 3greement on Technical Carriers to Trade is an international treaty of the World Trade Organi/ation. Ht .as negotiated during the

$ruguay +ound of the ,eneral 3greement on Tariffs and Trade, and entered into force .ith the esta lishment of the WTO at the end of '((:. The o Aect ensures that technical negotiations and standards, as .ell as testing and certification procedures, do not create unnecessary o stacles to trade".0?51 The 3greement on *ustoms Qaluation, formally kno.n as the 3greement on Hmplementation of 3rticle QHH of ,3TT, prescri es methods of customs valuation that "em ers are to follo.. *hiefly, it adopts the "transaction value" approach. Hn @ecem er 27'9, the iggest agreement .ithin the WTO .as signed and kno.n as the Cali Dackage.0??1 O!!ice o! director#general

The headBuarters of the World Trade Organi/ation, in ,eneva, -.it/erland. The procedures for the appointment of the WTO director&general .ere pu lished in January 2779.0?;1 3dditionally, there are four deputy directors&general. 3s of ' Octo er 27'9, under director&general +o erto 3/ev4do, the four deputy directors& general are Si Tiao/hun of *hina, Garl&#rnst Crauner of ,ermany, Sonov Frederick 3gah of %igeria and @avid -hark of the $nited -tates.0?(1 4ist o! directors#general -ource: Official .e site0;71

+o erto 3/ev4do, 27'9> Dascal Famy, 277)>27'9 -upachai Danitchpakdi, 2772>277) "ike "oore, '(((>2772 +enato +uggiero, '(()>'((( Deter -utherland, '(()

(Eeads of the precursor organi/ation, ,3TT!:

Deter -utherland, '((9>'(() 3rthur @unkel, '(;7>'((9

Olivier Fong, '(5;>'(;7 #ric Wyndham White, '(:;>'(5;